Description
A rich and satisfying vegan mac and cheese made with a secret potato and cashew sauce. It is completely dairy-free, soy-free, and ready in about 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup peeled and grated russet potato (approx 4 oz)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 8 oz whole-grain macaroni elbows
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (plus more to taste)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets (optional)
- 1 cup water (plus more for thinning)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni according to package instructions. If using broccoli, add it to the boiling water during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.
- Heat the avocado oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the grated potato, garlic, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the cashews and 1 cup of water to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully tender.
- Transfer the hot mixture to a blender. Add the nutritional yeast and vinegar. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add small amounts of extra water if the sauce is too thick.
- Taste and adjust salt or vinegar as needed. Pour the sauce over the pasta and broccoli, toss to coat evenly, and serve immediately.
Notes
If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you may want to soak the cashews for 4 hours prior to cooking, though the boiling step usually softens them sufficiently.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Blending Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 16g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: vegan mac and cheese, dairy free pasta, healthy comfort food, plant based dinner, cashew cheese sauce